By Christian Andriolas

COLLEGE PARK, MD –– Red-hot Maryland volleyball took The Pavilion floor Sunday, looking to defend home court against UMBC. 

The Terps came in 5-2, looking for their fifth straight victory. The Retrievers entered College Park 0-7 with only one set victory on the season. The neighboring schools have a one-sided history in volleyball, with Maryland holding a 13-1 all-time series lead over UMBC.

The dominating trend continued to close out the weekend, as the Terps won in dominant fashion – completing their fourth home sweep of the season in straight sets (25-12, 26-24, 25-16). 

The first set was the strongest for the Terps, as they won by 13 points – capped off by one of ten eventual kills by fifth-year outside hitter Sam Csire. 

But the second set proved a back-and-forth battle, as the Retrievers came back to tie it up at 23 apiece, after trailing 22-16. 

After a cruel kill by Schnitta to take the lead, she followed that with a service error – forcing another late tie in a crucial second set.

“She missed that one, but then … she’s able to get two key aces in game three to finish it,”  Coach Hughes said. 

Schnitta continued her hot streak throughout the final stretch, leading the Terps in kills (13) yet again.

A timely kill by sophomore Sydney Bryant – marking her third straight match with double-digit kills – paired with a critical dig from junior defensive specialist Ally Williams helped Maryland regain its composure and close out the set on a high note, winning 26-24. 

“I don’t think we took [UMBC] … lightly. The group’s doing a really good job of making sure that they respect whoever comes into our gym [and] making sure we’re prepared,” Hughes said. 

The score was close for much of the third set, with the Retrievers scoring four in a row to bring the score to within two at one point (17-15). But fueled by a dominant .476 hitting percentage and key assists from Zoe Huang (24 total), the Terps proceeded to outscore the Retrievers 8-1 late, capitalizing a third straight set victory and winning the match. 

Maryland now has a few days off until another home matchup this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., when they’ll take on Delaware State. Ben Geffner and Christian Andriolas will have the call for WMUC Sports.